Inset: Linda Hayden (St. Louis County Justice Center). Background: Police investigate after Hayden allegedly murdered her boyfriend and his teenage daughter in Missouri (Ferguson police).
In a shocking incident in Missouri, a 61-year-old woman stands accused of fatally shooting her boyfriend and his teenage daughter. The suspect, Linda Hayden, reportedly described the boyfriend as a “bad man and a narcissist” to the police following the tragic event.
Hayden faces serious charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. The victims, Henry Williams, who once served as the fire chief of Berkeley, and his 15-year-old daughter, Ha’layna Elliot, were found dead in their residence.
The grim discovery was made on a Saturday evening around 6:15 p.m. in the 500 block of North Clay Avenue, as stated in the criminal complaint. Family members, upon entering the home, found Williams with a gunshot wound to the back of his head, while Ha’layna suffered a fatal shot to her forehead.
Police officers found Hayden barricaded inside a bedroom and subsequently arrested her. Within the room, authorities also discovered a .38 caliber revolver with two empty bullet casings in its chamber.
During the initial investigation, Hayden reportedly made an unsolicited remark, acknowledging her role in the incident by saying she guessed she was “the villain” of the story, while reiterating her negative views of Williams as a narcissist.
The complaint, however, does not offer any insights into a potential motive behind the shootings. It is known that Hayden, Williams, and Ha’layna shared the same household, adding another layer of complexity to the unfolding case.
Hayden is at the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $2 million bond.
Williams became fire chief in Berkeley, a small city of about 5 square miles in the St. Louis area, in 2003 at the age of 40 and has since retired, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Ha’layna was a sophomore at Pattonville High School and a star basketball player, local NBC affiliate KSDK reported.
“Every time she shot the ball, we all watched, and it went in every time,” teammate Jael Williams told the TV station.
Williams spent part of his retirement coaching his daughter and her teammates. He was known as an encouraging coach.
“When we were practicing shooting and all the girls were making it and my shooting was horrible, he pulled me to the side, and he taught me how to shoot,” Jael said.
Hayden is next slated to appear in court on March 2.
